Poland/Late CtW
CtW guide As a playable faction in Renovatio Europam, Poland has plenty of opportunities to become a major power, and historically it had been so. Following the destruction wrought by the Mongols in Eastern Europe, the Poles were allowed to concentrate on the Teutonic Order who were encroaching from the north-east, and also managed to link up the Grand Duchy of Lithuania as a single kingdom; this allowed Poland to rule vast tracts of land ranging from the borders of Germany all the way down to the Ukraine until court intrigue and meddling by outside parties caused it to be annexed by the Prussians, Austrians and Russians at the onset of the 19th century. In order to survive, you will also need to do the same. Although you will start off with quite a great deal of space bear in mind however that this will not last, given the proximity of the Russians, while to the south lie the Serbians, Austrians and the Hungarians, who guard the mountain passes into the Mediterranean Sea and the roads towards Greece and Asia Minor. To make matters worse, you are also mostly on your own again and Pomerania is occupied by the Teutonic Order. You would well be advised to read up on Polish history on ideas how to figure this quadri-lemma out — and that is to ally with 1 or more factions, in order to lessen the load as well as the number of enemies you might face. Austria is a good ally because they are still small and are perfectly positioned to help you gain control of Germany, as will be explained later on. To the south lie three regions: Bohemia, Moravia, and the Carpathians. Bohemia has a fair amount of tribute and a supply centre, while Moravia and the Carpathians host rich deposits of metals and form a vital crossroads into Hungary and Austria, leading all the way into Italy. Of these three, Bohemia is the most prized but note that the people resent being ruled by an outsider. Eastwards lie Lithuania and Belarus — Lithuania is an important stepping stone on the way towards southern Scandinavia, and has reserves of amber while Belarus grants the use of an additional army, thanks to a supply centre. Capturing these provinces and holding them will be vital to Poland's survival — the additional troops and bonus cards should work well towards your own purposes, and the silver and amber will ensure economic and technological progress is enhanced during a conquest battle. Of these issues, the thorniest to begin with is that of Poland's neighbours, the Danes and the Austrians. Although they seem friendly enough, in reality they are potential rivals — the one being a prime contender for the German states, the other being a potential ally and danger. This is because the Habsburg rulers of Austria have plans to become the next Holy Roman Emperor, and are trying to expand their power. If they provide sponsorship for the Teutonic knights, they will instantly gain control of Lietuva, Pomerania and Kurzeme in the blink of an eye if you are not careful (the historic choice). Fortunately, this also results in you getting two political dissident cards if you had captured Lietuva earlier on, and also results in another quest — to secure Lietuva as part of your empire. Once this happens, Belarus will also elect to join your commonwealth as one of your territories as well, provided it has not been inducted into the Russian sphere. 100px|center CtW objectives *Eliminate all non-aligned factions or acquire 10 colonies *Claim control of Lietuva before the Russians conquer Belarus in order to subjugate Belarus at once. Initial startup *Territories: Poland (level 5); Carpathians (level 1) *Alliances: Hungary *Tribute: 50 Sphere of Influence *Poland, being **Poland **Carpathians **Nordmark **Pomerania, and *Central Europe, being **Moravia **Bohemia **Lietuva **Kurzeme Category:CtW